Li Xiaofei was imprisoned in the smallest and deepest solitary confinement room. It was the highest security Grade A cell of the Military Guard Bureau. It was said that prisoners locked in this cell were either respectfully escorted out or carried out as a mangled heap of flesh. There was no third option.
"Just admit it." Li Sheng stood at the cell door and said, "The interrogations here are far more terrifying than you can imagine."
Li Xiaofei remained silent.
"Why do you insist on going against everyone?" asked Li Sheng, shaking his head.
One moment, a person might be high-spirited with a boundless future. Next, they could be imprisoned with death looming near. He had seen this scene play out countless times.
Chongque City had always been a place of hidden storms and treacherous undercurrents. Beneath its seemingly calm surface lay a dangerous depth only those who stood at the pinnacle of strength could sense.
Li Sheng turned and left. But Li Xiaofei had caught a few pieces of information. He didn’t know whether Li Sheng had intentionally revealed something or if it had been an unconscious slip, but the behavior of the City Lord’s most trusted aide felt rather strange.
About an hour later, a visitor came to see him. It was Song Shiyan. The recently high-spirited heir of the City Lord’s Office now looked somewhat disheveled. When he saw Li Xiaofei, his face turned bitter as he said, “I’m sorry, big brother. I was deceived too. They verbally agreed to my conditions, but in truth, they only pretended to comply. By the time I realized the wind had shifted, you had been removed from your position as Chief Evolution Officer of Earth No. 1818, and the Military Division had already dispatched star beasts to subspace near Earth No. 1818. It was too late to notify you.”
Li Xiaofei looked at the dejected heir of the City Lord’s Office and quietly assessed the sincerity of his apology. At the same time, he continued to mull over the implications hidden within Song Shiyan’s words.
First, he had already been removed from his position as Chief Evolution Officer of Earth No. 1818. Second, it was indeed the Military Division that had been dispatched to Earth No. 1818 to carry out the mission.
Third, Song Shiyan, the once all-powerful heir to the City Lord’s Office, had lost his ability to suppress others with his status. The person who had orchestrated all of this in secret clearly did not care about his identity as the City Lord’s only son.
Who had such power? In the entirety of Chongque City, there were only two possibilities. One was the City Lord himself, Song Jinglun. The other was the High Chancellor.
Given that the High Chancellor, while influential, did not possess direct command over the Four Divisions system, the answer could only be one, the City Lord. Then came the real question. Why was City Lord Song Jinglun targeting him? As Song Shiyan continued to babble apologies and show remorse, Li Xiaofei seriously thought about it, but he failed to reach any meaningful conclusion.
"Alright, I understand." Li Xiaofei cut off Song Shiyan’s rambling and said, "You can go back now."
“Huh?” Song Shiyan was momentarily stunned, then an awkward expression flickered across his face. He stood up and said, “Okay, okay, I’ll try to think of another way.”
After taking a few steps, he turned back with a fawning smile and said, “Big brother, I... I... the time for this month is almost up, I...”
Li Xiaofei replied calmly, “Don’t worry. One activation of the Life and Death Talisman won’t kill you. Just grit your teeth and endure it for a day. Also...”
He shook his wrist slightly. The specially made handcuffs gleamed coldly under the dim light, sealing off all the energy within his body. He couldn’t use a single divine ability.
Song Shiyan’s face suddenly turned deathly pale. The mere thought of the torment that came with the activation of the Life and Death Talisman made him shudder all over. But at this point, there were no better options.
All he could do was pray that he could survive the talisman’s next activation or find a way to rescue Li Xiaofei. If they could get him out, then the rest of them wouldn’t have to fear the Life and Death Talisman going off again.
Once Song Shiyan left, silence returned to the cell. Li Xiaofei sat cross-legged and waited quietly. No one knew what he was waiting for.
An hour later, Li Sheng, the Director of the Military Guard Bureau, returned.
There was a trace of surprise on his face as he said, “Li Xiaofei, you actually hid Earth No. 1818? How dare you do such a thing?!”
Li Xiaofei slowly raised his head. He looked at him without a word and smiled. Li Sheng stared at the young, plump man before him. He was now a prisoner, yet he was still calm and composed. A strange feeling began to creep into his heart.
Could it be... has all of this been within his calculations from the beginning?
They had thought that Earth No. 1818 would fall into Chongque City’s hands once Li Xiaofei was captured. But unexpectedly, the Military Guard Bureau had lost the coordinates to Earth No. 1818. The planet had been wiped from the original coordinate system and was now completely shielded. This turn of events had thoroughly disrupted their follow-up plans.
“You're cutting off your own retreat by doing this.” Li Sheng took a slow breath and tried to persuade him once more. He said, “Don’t go against Chongque City. You’re a new father now, you can’t afford the cost.”
Li Xiaofei replied calmly, “I want to give it a try.”
Li Sheng’s expression grew complicated.
“You won’t be able to hide Earth No. 1818 for long. The agents of the Dark Division will find it soon enough. You don’t actually think that your abilities alone can hold back all of Chongque City, do you?”
Li Sheng spoke earnestly, almost pleadingly. “Maybe you acted out of sympathy, or maybe you've formed emotional bonds with the humans on Earth No. 1818 but are they truly worth sacrificing everything to protect? Besides, this kind of defense is like an egg striking stone. In the end, it may all be for nothing.”
Li Xiaofei looked at him and gave the same four-word answer, “I want to try.”
Li Sheng stared at him, sighed, and turned to leave.
Half a day passed. Footsteps echoed in the corridor. This time, unfamiliar faces appeared outside the cell. The one in the lead was dressed in a strange outfit.
He was cloaked head to toe in a pale purple robe and wore a bizarre helmet. A faceplate covered his entire face, filled with countless tiny holes that glowed with a crimson light. It was as if beneath the helmet wasn’t a human head, but a sphere of burning blood.
“Bring him out.” A voice came from under the helmet, harsh and eerie like rusted iron scraping against itself. It didn’t sound human.
Several specially uniformed warriors opened the cell door and escorted Li Xiaofei out, leading him down the corridor to the interrogation chamber.
Inside, the room was filled with a dense array of torture instruments.
“For many martial arts experts,” said the helmeted figure slowly, “Simple physical pain is not enough to make them submit. But it’s often the first step. Breaking the body helps to loosen the defenses of the mind.”
He continued, “Let me introduce myself. I am Ryūyama Nagashi, Director of the Darkmoon Bureau of the Dark Division. I was born in Jiepeng on Base Planet 193456, joined Chongque City four hundred years ago, and entered the Dark Division two hundred and forty-one years ago. I became director of the Darkstar Bureau the same year, and was promoted to Director of the Darkmoon Bureau four years later. I’ve heard that while you were on Earth No. 1818, you showed a strong disdain for Jiepeng people. Now that you’ve fallen into the hands of a Jiepeng chief interrogator, any thoughts?”
Li Xiaofei responded coolly, “I’m just surprised that even Jiepeng dogs can join Chongque City. This city must be sick.”
Mocking laughter erupted from behind the perforated mask. Then the voice said, “Before we begin the formal interrogation, I’ll ask the customary question. Where have you hidden Earth No. 1818 and the Si Xingyun family?”
Li Xiaofei grinned and replied, “Take a guess.”